As the annual matriculation exam session approaches, many twelfth-graders are faced with a dilemma: what next? There are so many prospects for what to do after school today, so the final choice can be difficult. One of the ways to help you decide is a live experience from the mouth of a professional. This allows you to get a broader picture of the desired specialty and career path, ask questions or even get help from a mentor.
“Lietuvos Junior Achievement”, “Women Go Tech” and “The Coca-Cola Foundation” are organizing the “Empowering Girls” project for the third season, combining the work experience of various representatives of the exact sciences and the business world and the career opportunities of schoolchildren. The #EmpoweringGirls project aims to spread the word about the possibilities of the world of technology, engineering and business, to promote entrepreneurship and innovative thinking among Lithuanian schoolchildren in various Lithuanian cities and towns. During the second season of the project alone, more than 100 different schools in the country were visited and more than 6,000 students were reached. This year’s plans are even more ambitious: to visit as many as 120 educational institutions, communicate with 7,000 students and initiate active participation in the “JA Shadowing” program.
During the opening event of the project held at SEB last week, this year’s numbers, which have already exceeded the target, were celebrated. 80 professionals who want to share their experience have already joined the project and will go to 180 registered schools. However, this is by no means the end: educational institutions can still register and give students aged 13-19 the opportunity to learn more about future professions and studies.
This choice can become extremely difficult for many students. This is influenced by many reasons: favorite educational subjects, personal interests and available skills. On the other hand, not all young people have already found an interesting niche for themselves in late adolescence. That is why it is important to learn as much as possible about an attractive career path, both theoretically and practically. Inspiration sessions in schools become a great tool to show students that the possibilities are unlimited, it is important not to be afraid and try.
In addition to interviews in schools, which will help to get answers to the questions of concern, high school students will also have the chance to “try on” the profession of interest or to improve the skills needed for their future plans. Some of the business and technology professionals will also join the programs of the educational student companies “accelerator_x” and “JA Šešeliavimos”. During them, young people will feel what a working day means in a company related to the field of their dreams: they will follow the mentor’s agenda, perform work-related tasks themselves, and participate in meetings. In addition, “accelerator_x” will give students the opportunity to establish a company themselves and get acquainted with business management.
“The field of study is one of the most important and responsible choices in a young person’s life. For this reason, it is important to get as much necessary and relevant information as possible, so the opportunity to communicate with professionals in the field becomes really useful,” says Žydrūnė Vitaitė, co-founder of Women Go Tech. According to her, the constant interest of schools in the project for several seasons proves the need for career mentoring between professionals and high school students.
The project, which is already in its first season, also receives a lot of attention from professionals who want to become mentors and help students make an important decision. “Vinted” and the associations “Unicorns Lithuania” and “Lyderė” willingly and actively contribute to the initiative, of which the majority of female professionals join the project. Ž. Vitaitė says that when choosing a future career path for students, it is important not only to hear, but also to experience: “We give students the opportunity not only to talk, but also to try activities of interest – this becomes a meaningful and interesting job promoting the technology sector and attracting more and more young people here every year . It is important for students to understand that technology is not just programming – more and more businesses and organizations are creators and implementers of digital solutions. The sooner students understand how wide the technology sector is, communicating with professionals in these fields, the greater the chance that young people will be bolder in their future path choices.”
The Empowering Girls project focuses on school girls. Although the number of female workers in the field of technology has been increasing in recent years, not every schoolgirl is considering this career option. “We can be happy that Lithuania is the leader in the European Union according to the statistics of women working in STEM industries. On the other hand, statistically, careers in STEM fields are still not the first choice for girls. We aim to change this trend and show that this field covers more than is often imagined – anyone can find interesting job positions that require different skills or education here,” says Anželika Rusteikienė, head of Lietuvos Junior Achievement.
All Lithuanian educational institutions can still register for the “Empowering Girls” project and help open up new career opportunities for students in the field of technology. More information: https://lja.lt/empowering-girls/.
More information Marketing and communication coordinator Austė Šilkaitytė, +37063140155, auste@lja.lt
